>Inside or Out?

>Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. ~1 Peter 3:3-4

The above verse is a great ideal, but a huge challenge to accept in our perfection-based, sex-sells society. If you aren’t a size 2, with perfect hair, flawless make-up and “to die for” bone structure (I could go on, but you get the point) society’s ideal says you just aren’t good enough.

I am not a beauty queen (to put it mildly). I frequently drop my son off at preschool in my PJs, messy hair and un-made face. In fact, I wear make-up on average one to two times each week. Suffice it to say, I am not a size 2 except in my wildest dreams. Needless to say, I think about the above verse often. I wonder how many people actually care about a gentle and quiet spirit. How much worth humans (Christian or otherwise) place on the inward character of a woman versus her outward “look”.

I had an experience this weekend that really called this whole issue into question. I am questioning how much value even those who are closest to us place on character versus appearance. My brain knows the above is truth, but getting my heart to follow is a whole different issue.